Jared Fogle, man who lost weight eating Subway sandwiches, visits Greater Lansing area school to raise awareness for obesity epidemic

J. Scott Park | MLive.comJared Fogle, also known as the Subway Guy, holds up his old pants as he talks to children at Bennett Elementary School in Jackson on Thursday morning. Fogle made a stop at Horizon Elementary in Holt, Mich. Thursday afternoon.

The man who became a pop-culture icon in the 2000s for
losing weight by becoming more active and eating sandwiches stopped at Horizon
Elementary in Holt, Mich. Thursday as part of a campaign to raise awareness
about the nation's obesity epidemic.

"You have more access to computers, more video game
systems to play and more high-definition TVs to watch than I did, so you could
easily end up on the road I did," he said to students in Jackson. "I hope you
all say to yourself that I really need to make better decisions than Jared did
so you don't wind up wearing a huge 60-inch pair of pants like this."

Fogle's visit coincides with National Childhood Obesity
Awareness Month. According to a media release, he was scheduled to chat with
students about the importance of good nutrition and fitness habits.

The national Subway spokesperson was also promoting the
chain's Fresh Fit video and poster competition.

Students who mail in a video or poster depicting how they
stay fit will receive a coupon for a free kid's meal or six inch sub.

The grand prize winner will receive $1,000 in Subway gift
cards and a $1,000 fitness grant for his or her school.

Students ages 5 to 14 – includes public, private and home
schooled – can participate with parent permission. Entry forms are available at
Subway restarants.

"The Fresh Fit Competition is a fun way to reward youth
for their efforts to stay fit," national spokesperson Fogle said in a
statement. "We encourage youth to have fun and be creative with their entries.
The bottom line is we want them to think about the choices they are making
every day to take care of their bodies."